We make changes for many reasons. We have to. We need to. We want to. We get an offer we can't refuse. Ah well, three out of four ain't bad.

Why did we decide to change JTC Realty Group? We had to. In order to move forward. Today's market requires the best in services for our clients. We did some digging. The answer to that became obvious.

We needed to in order to reach our goals. We all have those and you learn to adjust on your way to reaching them. We decided having the best backroom support was like having those Verizon guys following us around. Perhaps a bit annoying at times, but irreplaceable.

We want to. We got into this to be the best. We've done some scrambling, juggling and learning the past year. We have a bushel of happy clients and we hope a fair amount of folks we've worked with who at least won't throw us out the next time we show up with a deal. And when you choose to be the best, you bring the best tools with you.

All of these reasons led us to RE/MAX. We may have found the only folks who are crazier than we are. Maybe we got four out of four after all.

We look forward to working with you. We are RE/MAX Gallery. Welcome to our home.

Best.

Jeff Fanto, Broker
RE/MAX Gallery

After dealing with a property for a period of time, it is always interesting to go back and review your reaction upon seeing it for the first time. I'm sure we have all reacted to homes in various fashion with initial responses ranging from "a perfect home" to "how could a piece of property that ugly be that expensive?" This is true whether we are seeing a property as a potential homeowner, investor, appraiser or Realtor©. Once we are down the road with a piece of property that initial response may have been confirmed or may have actually changed in some respects. Ultimately, you may get lucky with what you end up with regardless of how horrified you may have been at first light.

Years ago I had a client who inherited a 30 x 100 piece of property in the city of Detroit. When we first went to look at it, we found it was covered in well-worn asphalt amongst a sea of other 30 x 100 pieces of property. Looking around, the property was within hailing distance of an old bar, an old theater and an old church. My client considered whether to ignore the inheritance, not pay the taxes and let the property be someone else's problem.

Some time went by and the property came up in conversation on occasion. Needless to say few good things were said about the little piece of property that was once the foundation for a home amongst neighbors, lovingly cared for by its' residents.

Time, however, marches on and it was no different in respect to the increasingly pock marked square footage. But along came a visionary who thought perhaps a little piece property, combined with the surrounding little pieces of property, might actually be able to be turned into something special. Indeed, in a masterpiece of engineering innovation, the theater was moved, the church was protected and the little bar held its ground. Today, those 3000 square feet of asphalt finds itself in a new home in the confines of right-field of Comerica Park. Its' neighboring little pieces of property fared equally as well. After all of the litigation creativity, bluster and fanfare, my client ended up with a tidy sum. The Gem Theater and the Elwood Bar have done okay too.

This experience taught me first impressions can be wrong, visionaries make the world go around, and every now and then we find a diamond in the rough.

Or perhaps, as in this case, a bit of rough in the diamond.

Be well.

Jeff Fanto

I’ve had it. Save Tiger Stadium. It’s worth preserving. It’s a landmark, a national treasure. It’s Detroit.
No, it’s not. It is none of those things.

Tiger Stadium is a treasure trove of memories. Nothing less, nothing more.
Its current physical state is a shadow of its former self where only empty echoes of thousands cheering remain. It is old and tired. It has been, long after the Lions abandoned it for Pontiac, only to return to downtown. It reached that state even before the Tigers quit prowling the once hallowed grounds, moving on to more fan friendly Comerica Park. It is yet another eyesore and reminder of the decay of the city, not of its past glory. As the Michigan Central Depot sits empty, ransacked and long abandoned within shouting distance of the old ball yard, so too sits Tiger Stadium, the pillaging more organized, but a shell nonetheless.

And that is not how I choose to remember it.

I remember Thanksgiving Days as a child, going to the Lions game with my Dad when men dressed in suits and ties and brought flasks to help them weather the cold cement that never seemed to warm up until July. It is why I take my son on Thanksgiving Day. I remember baseball games on hot summer nights. I remember being awestruck at the first sight of the emerald diamond, Dad explaining the nuances of the game. I remember Al Kaline gliding to another difficult catch made to look easy. I remember the joy in men’s faces as they played a child’s game. It is why my son takes off work to join me on Opening Day.

As both of my parents succumbed to the ravages of terrible disease, so too has Tiger Stadium succumbed to a world that has passed it by. I choose not to hold on to my parents in that condition. I choose to remember them as vibrant and loving parents, faults, both real and perceived, notwithstanding. I can close my eyes and remember. They need no monument, no last stand.  So too Tiger Stadium.

For those of you who had the guilty pleasure of a hot dog with everything as you sang during the 7th inning stretch; for those of who remember the flag pole in play in center field; for those of you who remember Gibby’s homer off the Goose, close your eyes. You are once again, even sitting in your back yard, there.
If you can remember, then go take your kid, the neighbor’s kid, anyone’s kid to a ball game. Detroit, Lansing, Toledo, it matters not which. The building is of little import. You’re making a memory.  Make mine without onions.

I was reviewing a closing package recently and was having trouble reconciling the tax pro-rations. (I won't mention the very fact I actually had a closing package to review more than 24 hours before closing being a minor miracle.) The amounts were small, but it was just the point. It mattered not that I tried 360 days versus 365, or any of the other possible variations. I couldn't get them to match the HUD1. I called the title company whose processor was most accommodating with her time. I explained my problem and she quickly responded the HUD1 was right because the computer did the calculations. I asked her to bear with me and take pen to paper and figure it out with me. And while she too was having a problem, she suggested there must be a "glitch" with the computer. I finally convinced her to have it reviewed. Now I don't know whether it was hand figured, but my numbers showed up on the final version.

The moral of the story - do the math. No one else is looking out for your client but you.

Best.

Jeff Fanto, Broker
RE/MAX Gallery

Was at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center a month or so ago and noticed the large American flag flying out front was in disrepair, the top hook securing it to the lanyards was broken allowing the flag to flop helplessly.

I inquired of security personnel as to whether they were aware (they were not) and whether the flag was lowered every day (it is). They did not seem immediately concerned nor did it seem an important issue.

There is little excuse for the flag to be flown in such a manner before any building, much less a government building. And someone needs to care.

If you have a client who is proud to fly the flag, please make sure they fly it correctly and that they take good care of it. It matters.

Best.

Jeff Fanto, Broker
RE/MAX Gallery

Some say lying to your wife is never acceptable. I say when she mentions a centipede in the basement and sends you down after it, you go. And though there isn't a chance in hell of finding it, you come back up and say you got it. It doesn't matter that you didn't because it made her feel better. It made sense to do that rather than complain about the requested task. That's not lying, that's love.

What’s all that got to do with real estate? We all have clients who can be more demanding than others. They may ask us to do things that will not necessarily help them sell or buy a house. And we may be tempted to argue with them about it. If it’s a no big deal thing, just do it. You lessen friction with the client, make them feel better and maybe, just maybe, you get surprised and get a referral from the last person you ever expected one from. If I’ve learned one thing in nearly 27 years of marriage (although my wife may be inclined to suggest I haven’t learned anything), I have found “Yes, Dear” works the best. Keep that in mind the next time your client asks you one of those “eye-rollers.” It just might make sense to go ahead and do it.

Best.

Jeff Fanto, Broker
RE/MAX Gallery

Former United States Representative Ed Foreman says you can be certain of uphill movement in any organization or any business plan by following three simple tenets:

Show Up
Show Up On Time
Show Up On Time Ready To Work

My son the union carpenter (if you can't do it yourself, raise a kid who can!) has had great success staying on jobs long after those hired before him have been laid off. Why? He shows up, he's on time and he's ready to work. Who would have thought what was once the backbone of the American economy would be a special trait? Unbelievably it is. The fact he's very good at what he does (ok, I'm a proud Dad, what can I say?) helps, but it wasn't what got him started. He is timely and dependable. That's what gets everyone's attention.

My daughter works at McDonald's. She walks to work, rain or shine. If no one's home to take her in bad weather, she goes anyway. It takes her about a half hour to walk to the store she works at. She gets there at least a half hour early. There are reasons, perhaps a topic for another day, she is probably not their "best" worker. But she shows up. She's on time and she's ready to go to work. She's ready to answer the bell whenever her boss calls and they need a fill in. If they have to work late she works late (Ok, I don't like that part because she gets off around 11 p.m. and I pick her up.). Her employer knows she can be counted on. For those of you who have ever worked in the fast food industry, you know what a rare trait that is. I am every bit as proud of her as I am of my son.

My purpose for bragging on my kids is this: we as real estate professionals need to do a better job of following these three simple steps. We always preach on how OUR time is so important. Remember that your client's time, the title company's time, the bank's time, yes EVERYONE'S time is important. If you expect others to respect your time, be prepared to be first in respecting theirs. And be willing to comment when they don't reciprocate. Yes, training them may be necessary. If they refuse to be trained, refuse to do business with them.

If you show up 20 minutes late to your listing appointment, and make your prospective client late for their kid's ball game (Well, it should be a ball game. I just don't get soccer.), what sort of signal does that send? That you MIGHT get the listing into the MLS in the next week? That you MAY check out the flyer box every so often, so what if it's empty for days at a time? Or maybe you're on time but unprepared to put on your presentation. You stumble through what should've been a 30 minute visit and made it 45 minutes instead. Now you've wasted some of your client's time, your time, and probably everyone else's time the rest of the day because you're going to be late getting to them.

I realize life gets in the way sometimes. Too often we let it when it really wasn't necessary. Be mindful of your time. It will help you be mindful of the time of others. More importantly, it will train others to respect your time and YOU. In today's climate, you need every edge you can grab on to. This is one that's so simple it's stupid. Unfortunately we prove how stupid we can be by ignoring it.

Best.

Jeff Fanto, Broker
RE/MAX Gallery

Most Americans do not comprehend that soaring oil prices are not the result of U.S. oil company conspiracies, that the shortage of the stuff is real. Those gasoline queues of six years ago are around the corner. So are $1-a-gallon prices. And until most Americans stop stupidly blaming nonexistent oil company "conspiracies" and instead start demanding that we do the many quickly do-able things that can really help solve the crisis, it'll continue to get worse. MALCOM FORBES (1979)

How prescient this man was. How stupid we continue to be.

Best.

Jeff Fanto, Broker
RE/MAX Gallery

So, what's the big deal about names? EVERYTHING!

Few things irritate me more than people mispronouncing someone's name and not making an effort to correct it. Worse yet, they appear not to even care they didn't get it right. I know, when faced with the multicultural world in which we live, how can we help but mispronounce names? No one, it seems, is named Smith or Jones any more.

I am amazed how many agents will be unable to accurately pronounce, or continuously stumble over their client's name - at the closing. One would have thought there would have been enough interaction between the parties during the process to have gotten it right.

Those with difficult names are too often used to hearing their names tortured beyond recognition because it couldn't possibly be anyone else's name that got screwed up that badly. Taking the time to get it right will endear you to them and they will remember you. Maybe not by name, but the next time they see you, and you get their name right this time, they will remember. This will be invaluable at a listing appointment, or any other first contact, as your prospective client, friend, lover, whoever, will see you as someone who cares enough to get that personal connection right.

Here are some simple steps that might help you get better at this:

1. Try, then ask. It's okay, people really don't mind. Even if you think you have it right, ask them to confirm. Most people will be pleasantly surprised that you cared enough to try to get it right. If you have the benefit of reading the name before having to say it out loud, play it over in your mind a few times. You'll be surprised how much easier the name will flow and letters, unbelievably enough, often flow into themselves once you get them going. Even if there is a pause, and you don't get it quite right, the individual you are speaking with will know you tried. It can be a great ice breaker if you do it right.

2. Take your best shot at someone's name, whether you're reading it or being introduced in person. Even if you will likely use their first name only once, take the time to get it right. Unfortunately, most people stop at the first try and resort to "Hey, bud" or "How ya doing?" Nothing could be more insulting, particularly when you are dealing with people from other cultures where their name, in their native land, is an explanation of their lineage, their history and in some cases their honor. You don't have to understand the nuances, just understand it is important to them.

3. If you will be dealing with someone over an extended period of time (translated, this means if you are going to have to say the name at more than just this one meeting, or more than twice at this meeting), write it down - phonetically. Mark which syllables are emphasized and which "e's" are long. Note the hard or soft "g".

4. Practice. You will get better at it. Before meeting the client with the tough name, practice saying it. And if you forget quite how, when you meet up with them, take a shot at it and confirm it with them again. They won't mind. Really. (Maybe if you've managed to butcher it for the 20th time, but other than that . . .)

5. Admit when you don't have a clue. Occasionally, I will look at a name and be stumped. Too many vowels or too many consonants in a row. Just look at them and tell them you have no clue how to say their name, would they be so kind as to help you out. They will be pleased to do so. They will say no one ever gets it right, so don't worry about it. But get it right the next time, and they will be impressed.

6. Pay attention to the cultural differences in pronunciation and emphasis. Understand when a hyphenated name means it should be pronounced a certain way or it is just the result of, in my opinion, a misguided effort to retain some identity.

In my various lives, I see a lot of names and have to pronounce them. I've gotten relatively good at it. But I've worked at it and I'm much better now than I was early on. Learning through experience and effort. What a concept.

One final note. Do your kids a favor. Keep some of this learning in mind when naming them. A little quirk in the spelling of the name may be cute. A self indulgent adventure of creativity, however, will do nothing for them (as they will be forever explaining it) and cause you nothing but grief when as soon as they get old enough they run down to the probate court to legally change it. Don't believe me? Look up the lyrics to "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash.

What's in a name? Care enough to get it right. You might be surprised.

Best.

Jeff Fanto, Broker
RE/MAX Gallery

Posted by Nicole Rice for: Jeff Fanto (author)

 

The following is a copy of an email I sent wrapping up an auction sale that, due to the Seller’s inability to get the agreed upon matters handled, resulted in my client withdrawing his offer. The Seller chose to retain $250.00 of a $5,000.00 deposit and my client chose not to continue the battle.

            The home was auctioned in October and was well outside the 45 day closing window, due in no way to the fault of my client. I am sure many of you reading this have gone through a similar experience in one way or another. As Realtors, we need to be more aggressive in holding our Bank-Seller clients accountable in this process and insure these properties get moved. We cannot be afraid to challenge our clients’ lack of timely response and we need to stay after the lawyers so they do their job and don’t get in the way for the sake of getting in the way. We at the Gallery have had that experience already and I am proud to say we prevailed in getting our client to understand it will only lose more money by being unreasonable, asking for onerous terms in its addendums, and letting the attorneys direct a process most know little about.

            The better job we do, the faster we get through this mess.

 

Best.

 

Jeff Fanto, Broker

RE/MAX Gallery

 

P.S. The names have been eliminated to protect the innocent . . . and the guilty.

 

Mr. ****** –

 

I have forwarded a revised release to my client for signature.

 

In response to yours, I can only say your comments are consistent with those to me wherein you indicated you could not really bug the Seller about completing items necessary to close this matter as you did not want to endanger your business. Unfortunately, the scenario that has played out in this case is a microcosm of what is going on and why properties are not moving as they should. As bad as the market is, if we were to eliminate the lethargy of the lenders sitting on these properties, the lack of control of their clients by Realtors, and the feigned ignorance of the law firms representing the Sellers who are only acting as conduits of a pipeline that is blocked on both ends, the Sellers would be eating fewer holding costs, Realtors would be making more money and the lawyers would be doing what they were trained to do – resolve things.

 

It is of course fascinating you did not receive my first voice mail and the first time we actually spoke, you indicated the plumbers, missing for weeks, were all of sudden “out there that day” making repairs. Further, when we last spoke, you had not even managed to have utilities turned on in the home, again after weeks, in order for proper inspections to be held. In addition, I shouldn’t have to remind you that you told me you would indicate to your Seller that none of the delay was due to Mr. ****. I can tell how much of an effort was made in that respect. Quite frankly I do not know how to further address the inadequacies of this entire process.

 

It is hoped you are in a position to sit down with your client and explain how much money it has lost in this whole process, as well as the money it will continue to lose holding on to this house. I appreciate the fact you treasure the Seller’s business, but how much are you making when deals take months to close, if they close at all? Wouldn’t your time be better spent working with Sellers who are actually on top of things, understand the costs involved, and actually want to sell the homes they are sitting on in a timely fashion? I daresay the value of this home has not increased during this escapade and it won’t be getting any higher any time soon.

 

As an attorney, and as Broker-Owner of RE/MAX Gallery, I would hope both of my professions would start doing a better job of resolving these matters.

 

I will forward the revised release to Mr. **** upon receipt from my client. I only hope his check will be forwarded with the alacrity of the Seller’s response to his withdrawal of his offer relative the amount being retained from his deposit. Somehow, I doubt it.

 

All else aside, I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

 

Posted by Nicole Rice for: Jeff Fanto (author)

 

            Regardless of your political persuasion, Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the United States of America. But how did he get there? Personally, I’m a believer of the perfect storm theory. That’s when everything comes together at the same time and in such a fashion that it results in a happening that would have been impossible under any other scenario.

            Obama, a candidate for the Senate, was granted a great opportunity to give a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He ended up being elected to the Senate by way of a misstep by the Republican Party in Illinois. He decided to run for President at a time when a prominent woman was running in his own party, thereby dampening the impact of his being black. The ball was rolling.

Continuing, he won the Iowa caucus because Hillary’s camp underestimated him and didn’t take Iowa, or the impact of a loss there, seriously. He became the darling of the media because of his carriage and charisma. The public soon followed. The ball was rolling faster. 

The internet came of age in politics, became his friend and he raised over $600 million, unprecedented by any stretch of the imagination. The incumbent party, like a pro quarterback who gets too much credit for a good team and too much blame for a bad one, takes it in the gut when the economy goes off a cliff a short 6 weeks before the election. The ball is heading straight downhill. Finally, and not a moment too soon, election day arrives and in a tradition favoring Democrats, the weather is stunningly beautiful throughout the country. The irresistible force just ran over the immovable object.

Luck? Maybe a bit. Planning? A lot. Execution? Nearly flawless. None of that would have mattered without the rest of the storm. But more importantly, what Mr. Obama did better than most, was recognize the atmosphere, jump on and ride the ride of his life to the White House.

Our business is tough right now. Everything that could be going wrong is. The rats are abandoning the ship. In the midst of it all, a perfect storm of opportunity is brewing. Can you recognize it? Can you take advantage when everyone else is taking off? Are you willing to take the chance, change course, work harder, get smarter while others bemoan their lot? Is it storming where you’re at?

 

Best.

 

Jeff Fanto, Broker

RE/MAX Gallery